Entries Tagged 'Holiday Organizing' ↓

Yesterday I had to do one of those home organization tasks that I just DO NOT like to do-put away all of the Christmas decorations and tree ornaments.  After a while it all starts to look like clutter to me and I want it put away but for some reason it always seems like such a JOB.  It was interesting to realize how many other tasks I found to do instead.  But yesterday I couldn’t take it anymore, it was time to get everything put away.  The kids are back to school tomorrow after a two week break and I needed to have all that stuff done so I could start the week fresh and concentrate on my work. 

So, I looked at the clock and gave myself 1.5 hours to get the job done.  I figured if I had an ending time in my head, it wouldn’t feel like the task was going to last forever.   So, I had all my labeled bins and tissue paper lined up so I could start packing up the decor.  Guess how long packing it up took?  Maybe 10 minutes.  All that fuss and procrastination and it only took a few minutes!   

Now the ornaments did take longer and I did get help because we separate out the kid’s ornaments from the general ornaments.  Each child has their own ornament box with a list of their special ornaments and that takes a while to hunt them down and pack them up.

My point is, sometimes we build tasks up in our heads and make them bigger and seem worse then they really are.  Once you just jump in and do it, it can be surprising how easy it really is.  So, jump in and go after those home organization goals!

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                  Happy Holidays!

                 May you enjoy a warm and wonderful day!

                Monika Kristofferson, Your Professional Organizer

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There are just a few days left until that big day and it will be time to open all those fun, new gifts!   Then what?  You have to put them away by finding homes for all those new treasures.  Can you do it, do you have space available?  Space in the pantry for the food gift packs, chocolates and goodies?  Room in the bathroom for all those new stocking stuffer goodies-the lotions, bubble baths and scrubs?  Room in the drawer for the new, warm, fuzzy socks?  Room in the closet for the cute, new shirts?  What about the garage-new tools anyone? 

If the answer is no, then it’s time for a quick declutter session!  Don’t stress, just grab a big garbage bag for donation items and a second bag for garbage, then turn on some good, loud music!  Choose two areas of your home and spend 15 minutes in each area.  Make quick decisions here. 

Part with items that:

• You can’t remember when you used it last
• You don’t love or even like anymore
• It’s broken
• Duplicate items
• Clothing that doesn’t fit
• Clothing that doesn’t look good on you
• Clothing with rips, stains, tears
• Anything you just don’t have a use for anymore

Remember you have new items coming in and you want to have easy access to them.  You don’t want to have to shove them in with a bunch of stuff you don’t even use or want anymore.  Declutter in this way for the next few days and make space for the new treasures!

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I hope that you found my 12 Tips of Christmas series helpful and you are motivated to enjoy a more relaxed and organized holiday!   Feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions or need any other ideas!

Happy Holidays to You!

Monika

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #12

Storing Future Gifts

Well, here we are on tip #12-the last one; I hope this series has been helpful to you this holiday season! 

For this tip I want to talk about storing future gifts.  After the holidays some of the best prices can be found and it’s often a great time to stock up on gifts for the future.  Now depending on what you purchase, these can actually be future birthday gifts, teacher gifts, anniversary gifts that don’t necessarily need to be stored all the way until next Christmas.  Unless of course they are holiday related items.  I even buy toys on sale to save for toy donations for the next year’s toy drives.

Some tips for storing future gifts:

• Purchase solid bins (heavy duty cardboard boxes are fine) that you cannot see into for storing gifts.  This way you always know where to go to look for a gift for someone. 
• If you have a gift that is meant for a specific person, place a sticky note on the item with their name on it.  Place a note in your calendar next to their special occasion that says:  “Gift in box” so you remember that you already purchased something.
• If you want to wrap items so no one can peek, just place a sticky note on the outside of the wrapping paper with that person’s name on it so you remember who the gifts are for.

Go ahead and pick up those great deals if you have room to store them, then just keep them organized so you remember who they are for and where they are!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #11

Storing Holiday Decor

You did all that work to get all the Christmas decor out and make your home pretty and festive.  Now it’s time to pack it all back up again, wow-that time went by fast!  Remember, this is your second opportunity to get make decisions about whether or not there is any decor that you are ready to part with.   The first opportunity was when you got everything out to decorate.  Just because you’ve owned something for years doesn’t mean you have to keep it.  Maybe it doesn’t fit in anymore, maybe you just don’t like it anymore.  That’s ok, our tastes change.  Either donate it or pass it on to someone else who will enjoy it for next year.

But you do need to store what you are keeping properly:

•  Purchase sturdy plastic bins with lids that fit well to keep out dust and rodents. 
•  Consider how much you want to be able to see into bins according to your taste and comfort level.  Either purchase clear bins  that you can see into or solid bins so you don’t see items inside.
•  Place items of the same type together:  stockings with stockings, serving dishes with serving dishes, ornaments with ornaments. etc.
• Always place a clear label on the outside of the bin so you know what you are storing inside.  It makes it easier to get your hands on what you need quickly.  When it’s time to put everything away, you just have to lay out the bins and load them up by the labels.

Protect all those special holiday items throughout the year this way while keeping them organized to boot!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #10

Creating a Gift Opening Basket

How many times have you had to jump up to run to get something to help open a present right in the middle of gift opening?  “Hold on, hold on, I’ll go get some scissors.”  Well this year you can avoid that by creating a little gift opening kit or basket a day or two before gift opening day and be prepared!  

Here are some items that will be handy to have ready:

• Scissors
• Screwdrivers to open battery compartments
• Batteries in the correct sizes for any gifts that require batteries
• Notepad and paper if you need to write down who gifts were from for thank you cards
• Plastic bags for wrapping paper garbage
• Bag or bin to hold ribbons and bows that you would like to keep to use again

Enjoy your gift opening this year in a more organized and relaxed way this year, no running around!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #9

Charitable Gift Giving

What better time of year to think about charitable gift giving!  So often we end up with gifts that we really don’t need, we don’t use and we already have so much stuff!  Then that stuff just sits around and it turns into clutter.  And I know what clutter does, it stresses people out!

So check out this awesome program through TisBest!  You can gift the gift of charitable giving to anyone and everyone on your list-sky’s the limit!  You can purchase a gift card from this site for your the important people in your life.  The recipient  then “spends” their TisBest Charity Gift Card by selecting a charity they believe in and donating it.  TisBest has 250 national nonprofit organizations and many more local organizations to choose from. 

TisBest has a wide range of categories to choose from.  A sample of just a few choices:

• Animals
• Children
• Education
• Homelessness

Surely everyone can find something that is dear to their heart and make a big difference.  And of course you don’t have to do this just at the holidays!  Any special occasion will do:

• Anniversaries
• Birthdays
• Staff Appreciation
• Client Appreciation
• Or just because you want to make the world a better place!

So try Christmas Tip #9 this year and help your loved ones stay clutter-free, organized and feeling good about helping others!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #8

Clutter-Free Gift Giving

There was a time in our family when we drew names for Christmas gift giving between the adults.  We had a spending limit of $75-$100 and here’s what would happen:  We would all draw names and then ask each other for a wish list.  And then we basically went down the person’s list and  bought enough stuff to get to the spending limit.  Wow-really personal huh?  Seriously, I can make my own list and buy my own stuff.  So, we eventually dropped that and just started buying each other stocking stuffers-all surprises. 

How often is it that we buy people ‘things’ just because it’s Christmas or their birthday?  We don’t even know what to buy because they already have everything!  Then that just ends up as clutter because people feel guilty giving away something that someone gave to them as a gift.

So this year, really consider what activities the special people in your life like and give them the gift of  fun.  Here are some examples:

• Pampering gift certificates like massages, pedicures and spa certificates are a hit!
• Tickets to the theatre, even put in a note that you will go together!
• A basket full of items they love:  coffee lover’s basket with coffee gift card to a coffee shop, a bath basket full of tub goodies.
• Certificate to babysit their kids so they can go out along with a movie or restaurant gift card.
• Grandparents can offer to pay for swim lessons, piano lessons, soccer, any activities the grandkids are involved in.
• Membership to the zoo for one year.

The options are as varied as the people in your life; make it easy for your loved ones to stay organized by not adding to their clutter!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #7

Gathering Gift Wrap

A big part of Christmas to-do’s is  all of the gift wrapping for all those gifts you went shopping for!  How can you organize your gift wrapping duties to make it as quick & easy as possible?  Well, I have a few tips as well as some organizing products to share to help you this year.

• Whenever possible, create a gift wrapping station or designated area so you don’t have to keep dragging out all your supplies every time you bring another gift home. 
• If you can’t dedicate space for a full wrapping station, place supplies in a basket or even a shoebox that is portable so you can bring it over to the table or floor for wrapping.  Add scissors, tape, name tags, ribbon and bows. 
• Have gifts wrapped at the mall, online or by a neighborhood teen-could be well-worth the money!
• Store gift wrap supplies in convenient organizing products made just for gift wrap.  See photos below.  You can even purchase two, one for everyday wrapping and a separate one just for storing holiday wrap.

Check out these affordabe products for wrapping storage: 

Jokari Gift Bag Organizer

Gift Wrap Organizer:

 Make gift wrapping easier and more organized by following these easy tips!

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